Abstract

England's Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt announced a new contract overhauling pay and conditions that would be imposed on striking junior doctors. He said that he was doing this to end "uncertainty" in the NHS after a breakdown of negotiations but the outrage that followed the announcement makes likely further demonstrations against the contract. Many junior doctors plan to quit the NHS and one survey found that around 90% of them would consider moving abroad if the contract is imposed. (see Paul Gilbert's article on p50)